Levi’s Trucker Jacket Design Competition

The aim for the design of the trucker jacket was to create a piece of clothing that could be appreciated primarily on an aesthetic level and additionally through the underlying message throughout its imagery. I utilised the jacket as a canvas for storytelling, within its seams, hems and pockets. The process started off with a close look into the history of Levi’s denim production, and its use in the 1800s. The story of Levi Strauss’s success in itself was rich in that it reflected elements of history, the Gold Rush and the use of jeans for the working class. This was the spark that inspired the design behind the trucker jacket created. Taking inspiration from current happenings around the world, I decided to base the designs on the issue of animal extinction. The designs used throughout the jacket are based on a number of endangered animals, created as block prints. Through a combination of bleaching, lino printing and paint, I was able to experiment and make use of the various textures and the textile’s reaction to various media in order to create the designs. There is the use of symbolic elements of protection and a utopia in which the animals, though extinct or close to extinction, become a figment of our imagination.